Pros and Cons of Security Camera Systems
Thursday, September 9th, 2010There isn’t a town or city in the UK which doesn’t have CCTV cameras monitoring the streets.
Many people have voiced concerns about this, pointing out that this is an infringement of our civil rights and that we are now a Big Brother state as a result of the proliferation of these security cameras. But for every claim that CCTV is a bad thing, there are many more which show how CCTV systems have made a major impact when it comes to cutting crime.
Consider for a moment how often you see CCTV images on the news. More often than not, these images become evidence in a major crime and when the case reaches court the CCTV footage has been instrumental in sending the criminals to prison. This covers everything from minor assaults to murders and robberies, and in some high profile cases, terrorist activities.
While those who are opposed to CCTV on our streets argue that we are now a Big Brother state, defenders of these security systems point out that the vast majority of the population have nothing to fear if they are caught on camera. A fair point, because if you are going about your daily life with no criminal intent and you happen to get filmed by CCTV security cameras, what is the problem? The chances are the footage will be deleted after a period of time, so you have nothing to worry about. It’s only those who are determined to commit crimes who have to fear CCTV equipment which monitors our streets, and surely, that has to be a good thing?